Spandau Ballet is a British band that formed in London in 1979 and was originally composed of five members: Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman, John Keeble and Tony Hadley. The band achieved success in the early 1980s and was particularly popular in Europe and Australia. Their most iconic song is ‘True’, released in 1983.
The song ‘True’ was written by Gary Kemp as a tribute to his late father. As he explained, “I wrote True as an ode to my dad, who had recently died.
It was a very personal thing–a way of expressing the sadness I felt at his passing. “
The song became a huge hit all over the world, reaching the top 10 in various countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. It also stayed at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.
The accompanying music video for ‘True’ was directed by British director Steve Barron and featured the band performing on a stage surrounded by dancers wearing black suits and white shirts. The video has since become iconic as one of the most memorable music videos from the 1980s.
In addition to its success as a single release, ‘True’ came to define Spandau Ballet’s sound throughout their career and remains one of their signature tunes today. It has been covered by many artists over the years including Take That, Westlife, Steps and even American rock band Bon Jovi.
Conclusion
Spandau Ballet released their iconic song ‘True’ in 1983 which went on to become a massive hit all over the world. The accompanying music video has also become iconic for defining an era of music videos from that decade.